Geofencing simply explained: definition and areas of application

The term geofencing can be explained in a few words. A longer explanation is necessary for the areas of application of this exciting technology. Geofencing has many advantages but also disadvantages.

Geofencing - that is behind the technology

The artificial word geofencing is composed of the two words geographic and fence and thus means geographical fence. Geofencing is a virtual space from which some are excluded and others included. Geofencing has long been part of your everyday life, even if you may not always be aware of it.

• For example, it is an integral part of most apps. You can recognize this from the fact that many apps request the right to be able to determine your location. In order for an object to be located, it must regularly send out signals such as WLAN, mobile radio, GPS or RFID.
• But geofencing is also used in other areas in everyday life. This includes opening the car doors using Keyless Go as well as the security tags that are attached to the goods in the shops.
• In one case, a door is opened as soon as you enter a previously defined zone, while in the other case the door is closed as soon as you want to leave a defined area. It is known that the security tags trigger a shrill alarm sound as soon as you try to walk through the door with the unpaid goods.
• Geofencing also carries risks. For example, criminals have long since developed a way of intercepting the signals, opening the car door and looking for distance with your car. To prevent this from happening to you, we have put together a few tips on how to secure your car from theft in another post.

There are these areas of application

The application possibilities are almost unlimited. This applies to the world of work as well as to the public sector and the smart home.

• For example, if you install a Smartes door lock, you can use the app to define when the door opens automatically. As soon as you or your smartphone enter the specified area, the front door is automatically unlocked.
• Geofencing is also used to monitor animals or people. For people who are placed under house arrest, an alarm is triggered automatically as soon as they leave the defined zone.
• The people or animals are provided with a transmitter, for example on an ankle bracelet or a pendant on the collar of the pet. If the dog leaves the property for a short trip, you will be informed immediately on the smartphone.
• Companies use geofencing to protect their property. An example of this is shopping carts whose wheels lock in the same second you try to leave the supermarket with the shopping cart.
• Employees can also be monitored using geofencing, such as the drivers of money transports. The head office can track where their vehicles are at any time and whether the driver is adhering to the route and schedule.
• In advertising and marketing, geofencing in combination with geo-targeting is the perfect way to address potential customers. If you stay near the supermarket, the current special offers will appear on your smartphone display and your favorite restaurant will entice you with a free drink.
• With rental cars or e-scooters it can be determined in which area the respective vehicle may move or where the vehicle must be parked.
• The world of geofencing is unlimited and the use of technology in almost every area is not only conceivable, but also feasible. But you have to keep in mind that everything positive can also be turned negative, for example by boarding criminals' smart homes or secretly monitoring people like your partner.